The recent spike in conflict between Israel and Hamas. Hamas is a militant group within Palestine and is one of its two political parties. It governs the Gaza Strip, while its opposing side, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) governs the West Bank. Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, which killed hundreds. Hamas did this off the back of the PNA negotiating terms at the UN for a peace deal, which allowed concessions for the West Bank and for Israel and Saudi Arabia to pursue a nuclear program. Hamas is likely uncomfortable with this potential deal, as the terms have been stated to be in favor of the PNA West Bank portion of Palestine.
Israel declared war on Hamas (aka the Gaza Strip portion of Palestine) after their attack. If Israel is successful in their war effort, it would dismantle Hamas and leave just the PNA to be the main political party of Palestine. Making it possible for the nuclear deal to be pursued and gain Israel a powerful ally in Saudi Arabia. However, declaring urban warfare could be a catastrophic event for the people living in the Gaza Strip. The number of casualties that come with this type of warfare may very well strain relations Israel has with not only the Western world but also potential future ties with other Muslim nations in the region. U.S. ships are currently stationed close to the region as a show of force and potential policing of both sides - Israel to not totally destroy Palestine, and vice versa.
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas ramps up, the visibility of the Ukraine and Russia conflict has been momentarily blurred. It is believed that Russia would like to prolong the Israel conflict for as long as possible to maintain the unfocusing of its own war effort. China is also interested in helping Hamas as they look to be seen globally as peacemakers providing support to a smaller nation. Antoine Bondaz, a China expert at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris was quoted. “They will try to portray the U.S. as the factor of instability and China as a factor of peace. China’s goal is to present itself to the developing nations as an alternative—and as a more attractive alternative.” Additionally, China's backing of Hamas plays into opposing their rival India, which supports Israel.
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